Quemar
by omelettethemusical
Summary: A short piece about Imelda's reaction to her husband's seeming desertion, to the tune of "Burn" from Hamilton. Ch. 2: First Burn.
1. Burn

I saved every song that you wrote me

From the moment I heard them, I knew you were mine

You said you were mine, I thought you were mine

/

Do you know what I said to myself

When I first saw you play for our girl?

I said "Be careful with that one, now

He will try to give her the world"

/

You and your tunes flooded my senses

Your lyrics all left me defenseless

You built me mansions out of melodies

You built cathedrals

/

I'm rereading the songs that you wrote me

I'm searching and scanning for answers in every line

For some kind of sign, and when you were mine

The world seemed to burn, burn

/

You performed all your songs with Ernesto

You toured for the world

And you never returned to our home

In pursuing your fame, you have ruined our lives

/

Do you know what I said to myself

When I learned what you'd done?

I said, "You have married an Icarus

He has flown too close to the sun"

/

You and your words, obsessed with our memories

Your sentences border on senseless

And you're so versatile in every verse

So why should I believe you?

You, you, you

/

I'm erasing you from our narrative

Let future Riveras all wonder how Imelda reacted

When you broke her heart

You have torn it all apart, I am watching it burn

Watching it burn

/

The world has no right to my heart

The world has no place in our bed

They don't get to know what I said

I'm burning the instruments, burning the memories

That might have redeemed you

/

You forfeit all rights to my heart

You forfeit your rites to the dead

You will be forgotten instead

We'll have no more memories of when you were mine

I hope that you burn


	2. First (Second) Burn

When Imelda Rivera opened her eyes, she found herself at the foot of a marigold bridge. She took a step forward, and nearly screamed when she saw that her leg was made entirely of bone - her hands and arms, too. She touched her face and felt the cold, smooth curve of her skull. She was in the land of the dead.

As Imelda crossed the bridge, she saw more people than she had ever seen in her life - thousands, maybe millions. There were other bridges, with people crossing them just like she was. The sounds grew louder, and she saw what appeared to be a train station. She walked across the platform, not knowing where else to go.

"Ah, Senora Rivera," an official said. "Welcome to the land of the dead. Let me escort you to the Department of Family Reunions. Please give me the names of all your deceased relatives so I can page them."

Imelda told the official the names of her parents and her brothers, Oscar and Felipe. Then she hesitated.

"It says here your husband is deceased as well," the official said, looking down at a file. "Hector Rivera?"

"Si," said Imelda, looking away. "But I don't want to see him."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," the official said. "Spousal reunions always take first priority." She held the intercom to her mouth. "Hector Rivera, please come to the Department of Family Reunions. Your wife is here."

The official took Imelda into a small room to wait for her husband. Imelda drummed her bony fingers on the table, taking in the Land of the Dead. Finally the door opened and a man in ragged clothes emerged. He looked skinny, even for a skeleton. He took off his hat and smiled at her. "Imelda," he said.

"Hector," Imelda said softly. If she still had a heart, it would have broken to see him like this. But she quickly remembered her anger and scowled.

"You never put my picture on the ofrenda," he said. "You never let me see Coco."

"Oh, like you cared about that?!" Imelda shouted, pointing a finger in his chest. "You walked out on us! You deserve to be forgotten."

"Imelda, querida, it was all a misunderstanding! I tried to come back to you, I really did. But I got food poisoning."

"Food poisoning!" Imelda scoffed. "That's the worst excuse I've ever heard."

"It's true," Hector said. "You have every right to be angry with me. But you don't know how hard things have been for me here. And you had no right to deprive Coco of music because of my mistake."

"Music almost destroyed our family," Imelda said. "I couldn't let that happen again."

 _I saved every song that you wrote me_

 _From the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine_

 _You said you were mine, I thought you were mine_

"I _am_ yours," Hector said, but Imelda cut him off.

 _Do you know what I said to myself_

 _When I learned what you'd done?_

 _I said "I have married an Icarus_

 _He has flown too close to the sun"_

"Imelda, por favor, just listen!" Hector pleaded, reaching out to her. Imelda held up her hand to stop him.

 _Don't take another step in my direction_

 _I can't be trusted around you_

 _Don't think you can talk your way into my arms_

 _Into my arms_

Hector stood there silently, knowing he had lost. He looked down in shame.

 _I burned all the songs that you wrote me_

 _You can stand over there if you want_

 _I don't know who you are, I have so much to learn_

 _I tore up your photos and watched them all burn_

 _I watched them all burn_

Hector felt a churning in his gut even worse than right before he died. So not only did Imelda never put up his photo, she turned their whole family against him so that even after she died they would never hear his name.

 _You gave all your songs to Ernesto_

 _You toured for the world_

 _And you never returned to our home_

 _In pursuing your fame, you have ruined our lives_

"Imelda, I can't apologize enough," Hector said. "But you've held a grudge for fifty years, isn't it time to let it go? And by the way, I didn't give my songs to Ernesto, he took them."

"Ernesto," Imelda repeated, her voice full of bitterness. "He was always a bad influence on you."

 _Heaven forbid someone stop you_

 _From chasing your dream_

 _Go seize your moment,_ gritarlo _and scream_

 _I know about loco - like how you abandoned our Coco_

"I didn't - " Hector started to say, but Imelda gave him a glare that would have killed him if he wasn't already dead.

 _Don't - I'm not naive, I have seen your fans surround you_

 _Don't think I don't see how you fell for their charms_

 _All of their charms_

"Their charms were nothing compared to you, Imelda," he said to himself.

 _I erased you from our narrative_

 _Let future Riveras all wonder how Imelda reacted_

 _When you broke her heart_

 _You have thrown it all away_

 _Stand back, watch it burn_

 _Just watch it all burn_

"Coco still remembers me," Hector said. "Someday I'll see her again." It was the only hope he could still cling to.

Imelda turned on him with a blazing hot fury. "Coco?!" she shouted. "How dare you speak of Coco!"

 _And when the time comes, explain to our daughter_

 _The pain and the hardship that you put her mother through_

 _When will you learn that she was your family?_

 _We were your family_

 _If you thought you were mine… Don't!_

Imelda stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her, leaving Hector all alone. He slumped against the wall, burying his face in his sombrero. What he had waited and hoped for the last fifty years was not to be. For him to see his family again, it would take a miracle.


End file.
